1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of post hole diggers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a post hole digger that enables a user to produce a vertical hold in the ground by pivoting the blades towards each other in a conventional manner and/or rotating the blades into the ground.
2. Description of the Related Art
Post hole diggers are frequently used for manually digging a hole within the earth for placement of a post therein. Traditional post hole diggers include two concave blades that face one another to form a cylindrical region generally about six inches in diameter. The blades are pivotally connected to one another proximate the top portion of the blades. Extending from each blade is a fixture or cap supporting a shaft handle extending approximately four feet in height. The blades are spaced apart from one another such that each shaft is proximate the inner surface of each of the blades. By thrusting the blades into the ground, the earth is secured between the blades by moving the upper end of the handles away from one another forcing the blades to pivot about the pivot toward one another.
Although assembly effective for their intended purposes in many soil conditions, they are less effective in dense, hard soils, such as clay. First, the vertical orientation of the handles may cause difficulty for some users to maintain a secure grasp when thrusting the post hole digger into the ground. The hard soil causes the post hole digger to come to an abrupt stop, requiring significant hand strength to keep the handles from sliding through the user's hands. Consequently, the user quickly fatigues and blisters result.
Also, traditional post hole diggers are not particularly effective in hard soil since repeated thrusting of the tool into the ground only minimally advances the intended hole. That is, prolonged inefficient effort is the only way to overcome the blunting away of the post hole digger.
Another disadvantage of traditional post hole diggers is that it is often difficult to force the handles away from each other in order to secure soil between the blades. Forcing the blades into the ground often does not sufficiently disrupt the earth so that it may be captured and removed from the hole. This problem becomes more pervasive as the hole gets deeper since the ability to manipulate the handles away from each other becomes diminished.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for continued improvement of post hole diggers. Particularly, it would be desirable to have a post hole digger that is well-suited for use in hard soils. Additionally, it would be desirable to have a post hole digger that allows the user's hands to be positioned in a vertical and/or horizontal orientation in order to reduce user fatigue and improve downward force when thrusting the tool into the ground. Further, it would be desirable to have a post hole digger that improves the user's ability to capture and secure earth between the blades.